WHAT'S YOUR IMPRESSION OF MAYOR MENINO? HE'S HELPED US WITH THE ARTS HERE IN HYDE PARK ANY HELP THAT WE NEEDED THROUGH SUPPORT, TEACHING OUR YOUTH ART, THROUGH MUSIC. HE'S GIVEN US A LOT OF SUPPORT. HE'S ALWAYS PUTTING HIMSELF OUT ON THE STREET ALL THE TIME. HE'S ALWAYS OUT THERE FOR THE PEOPLE, NEVER HID ANSWER WAY UNTIL ELECTION TIME. HOW DO YOU THINK HE'S REGARDED IN SOUTHIE? FROM WHAT I CAN TELL, NOT VERY HIGHLY. I THOUGHT HE WAS A TERRIFIC MAYOR, I HATE TO SEE HIM GO, BUT WHEN YOU GET OLDER, HEALTH ISSUES, IT'S TIME FOR TOM LEAVE. BUT HE'S DONE A GREAT JOB, ONE OF THE BEST WE EVER HAD. DEFINITELY 20 YEARS, HE SERVED THE COMMUNITY, SOME SAY WELL, SOME MAY NOT SAY WELL, BUT YOU HAVE SOME CREDIBILITY THERE AND HE'S BEEN CONSISTENT. WHETHER GOOD OR BAD, HE'S BEEN CONSISTENT. IS THERE ANYTHING YOU FEEL LIKE THIS IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH AND I'D LUKE TO HAVE MORE TIME TO WORK ON IT? EDUCATION IS ONE THING I CONTINUE TO SAY, WE CONTINUE TO STAY FOCUSED ON. WE'VE DONE A GOOD JOB, YOU DO A BETTER JOB. I'M NOT SATISFIED. WHAT WILL YOU MISS MOST? THE PEOPLE. BEING OUT THERE. 20 YEARS, I LOVE THE PEOPLE. OVER 20 YEARS, THE MOST STRIKING FA IS THE TICK ABOUT MAYOR MENINOS RECORD SETTING TENURE MAY NOT BE THE UNPRECEDENTED FIVE TERMS, BUT IT MAY BE THIS ONE. IT'S BEEN SAID THAT FULLY HALF OF BOSTON'S RESIDENTS HAVE PERSONALLY MET THE MAYOR AT LEAST ONCE. MAKING TOM MENINO UNDOUBTEDLY THE CITY'S MOST VISIBLE AND ACCESSIBLE MAYOR EVER. HAVE YOU EVER MET HIM? YES, I HAVE, TWICE ACTUALLY. HAVE YOU MET HIM? OH OH, YEAH. HOW MANY TIMES? I DON'T KNOW. I THINK HE'S COOL. TO BE HONEST. I ACTUALLY GOT A DIPLOMA, SIGNED BY MENINO. HAVE YOU EVER MET HIM? YEAH. MORE THAN ONCE? OF COURSE. EVERYBODY IS ON A FIRST NAME BASIS WITH HIM, WHAT ELSE CAN YOU SAY ABOUT THE GUY. I'M JUST DOING MY JOB, BE OUT THERE TALKING TO PEOPLE, TOUCH THEM. THEY MAY NOT LIKE ME, BUT THEY SAY HEY, THE MAYOR WAS HERE, HE TALKED WITH US. DO YOU LIKE THE FACT THAT THE PEOPLE FEEL THEY CAN APPROACH YOU? I LOVE THAT. IF I CAN'T APPROACH YOU, YOU KNOW YOU'RE IN TROUBLE. HE'S VERY EXPREEL ALSO HAS THIS ABILITY, HE COULD BE SITTING THE PRESIDENTS AND PRIME MINISTERS THAT COME AND VISIT THE CITY, BUT HE'LL END UP THE DAY AT THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB AND SO HE HASN'T FORGOTTEN. BUT HE AND OTHERS POINT TO ANOTHER UNIQUE AND SIGNIFICANT FACTOR IN MENINO'S ENDURING POPULARITY. I THINK THE OTHER THING THAT TOM MENINO HAD GOING FOR HIM THAT ALL PREVIOUS MAYORS DID NOT HAVE GOING, QUITE FRANKLY, IS THAT TOM WOULD SAY THIS IS THE ONLY JOB THAT I EVER WANTED. I DO NOT WANT ANYTHING ELSE. I DON'T WANT TO BE GOVERNOR, I DON'T WANT TO GO TO CONGRESS, I DON'T WANT TO BE PRESIDENT. I WANT TO BE THE MAYOR OF THE CITY. HE HAD THE JOB THAT HE LOVED AND HE KNEW THAT HE WANTED TO DO IT, AND MAYBE HE ALSO KNEW THAT HIS CHANCES OF GETTING ELECTED TO AN OFFICE OTHER THAN MAYOR WEREN'T THAT GOOD. SO HE WAS SMART, HE WAS POLITICALLY SMART, HE MADE THE MOST OF THE JOB THAT HE HAD. IN DOING SO, TOM MENINO EARNED THE ONE NICKNAME HE'S PROUDLY EMBRACED, MAYOR POTHOLE. IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO VOTE AGAINST SOMEONE WHO CALLS YOU UP ON THE PHONE AND SAYS I KNOW YOU HAVE A PROBLEM ON ELM STREET, IT WILL BE FIXED TOMORROW. AND HE'S HE'S BEEN SO HANDS ON, AND IN THAT SENSE QUITE DIFFERENT FROM THE MAYORS BEFORE HIM, WHO IN SOME CASES HAD OTHER AGENDAS, HE'S BEEN IN THE WEEDS, DEALING WITH THE ISSUES THAT IMPACT URBAN LIFE. I THINK IT'S NOT SURPRISING THAT HE WON WITH VERY LARGE MARGINS EVERY TIME. DO YOU THINK HE WOULD HAVE WON AGAIN IF HE RAN ONE MORE TIME? I DO. AND I DON'T THINK THEY WOULD HAVE COULDN'TED THOSE VOTES, THEY WOULD HAVE WEIGHED THEM. THANK YOU, BOSTON. JIM BRETT IS NOT FAR OFF WHEN HE TALKS ABOUT HAVING BEEN ABLE TO WEIGH HIS VOTES. HE WON WITH SOME TOTALS THAT ARE STARTLING. IN 2001, AN INCREDIBLE 76% OF THE VOTE. THOSE ARE TO THES THAT FRANKLY VLADIMIR PUTIN WOULD BE ENVIOUS OF.